The Sierra de Guara is the southern edge of the Pyrenees, a limestone range cut by canyons so deep and narrow that they have made the area a centre for canyoning. The river Vero runs through one of them, a gorge of pale rock and clear green pools, and at its mouth stands the village of Alquézar, whose collegiate church and castle dominate a rocky spur above the water. The Abrigo del Camino is one of the painted shelters in this country, part of the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean arc that UNESCO lists, in a landscape that suits prehistoric hunters well.
Alquézar began as a Moorish fortress, taken by the Christian king of Aragon in the eleventh century, and the canons who later built the church there ruled the surrounding valley. Walkways bolted to the canyon walls now lead visitors above the river, and the village streets are steep, cobbled and photogenic. The cliffs above are home to griffon vultures and, with luck, the bearded vulture, a rare and splendid bird that eats bones, dropping them from a height to crack them open.
The roads to Alquézar are a good ride. From Barbastro, the road climbs through almond and olive country into the foothills, with bends, short climbs and views of bare ridges, and it is quiet outside the high season. Tighter, narrower roads continue up into the sierra, where gravel and broken tarmac are common, and in summer the heat reflects off the rock. Spring has green hills and flowers, autumn is gentle, and winter can bring ice. Take care on the narrow village streets, where cars and walkers share the way.
Barbastro, a bit closer on the plain, has stations and restaurants, and is the market town for the Somontano wine region, whose reds and whites are good. Eat roast lamb or a plate of migas, and try the local ternasco, tender young lamb. Carry water and wear stout shoes if you plan to walk to the shelter, and be careful in the heat.